Sounds scarily similar to the fiasco at SIN early June this year.

I was supposed to board the late QF flight to Sydney and transfer to Adelaide, arriving ADL at around 10am - sleeping all day and then competing the next day.

We boarded (mind you my budget only extended to economy) and due to my usual "discussion" with the check in agent/QF check in supervisor about WHY I was travelling with 4 swords I was one of the latest to check in. Made it to the holding lounge after a detour with my father to the duty free stores for alcohol.

We were delayed in the holding lounge while crew changed over (this was the flight that originated in LHR). Finally boarded, got settled etc for the captain to come over the intercom and say "Sorry, got a slight problem, the techs are looking at it now, unfortunately its the air-con, so its gonna get a BIT hot."

Bit hot my fanny aunt. It was bloody BOILING down the back of the plane (I oughta know I was sitting about 10 rows from the rear!). The FA's were good, distibuting water and ice creams, but finally the passengers revolted and asked WHY we couldnt go back into the holding lounge. Apparently SIN customs wouldnt let us....ppl kept asking until finally they say "Ok fine..."

Just as we were about to de-plane captain comes online with "Ok, think we have fixed it." so we all sit down again....then "Err no we havent....sorry." so we all de-plane.

While sitting around the holding lounge they start to distribute crackers and drinks, which was good. Then they come out and say "Oh, we need a part - cant seem to find one in SIN, and ops cant find one in SE Asia. We have to fly one in from Sydney. Please queue for hotel vouchers."

Queue chaos to which the supposed QF ground staff at Changi COULD NOT HANDLE. There was no queues, lots of ppl fretting about connections (me included), and 1 personally heard 3 different gate agents tell me 3 different things. Just as people were starting to calm down there is an announcement - which we all nearly missed due to the near riot at the Gate desk.... HALLAJEUAH a part had been found in BKK - would be there in a couple of hours - please go get some food on us. So a whole plane load of ppl (except for the lucky ones who could get the to QP) decended on the 1 poor person up in the T1 food hall. Mind you its now nearly midnight so almost everything is closed. Finally convinced Deli France to accept my BP details as payment - after they sent a manager scurrying to QF to find out what was happening.

We boarded approximately 6 hours late. Though I will give QF their due, when we landed in Sydney they had a pile of ground staff and a huge white board with the flights we should have been on and what flights we had been transferred to as lots of people shepperding us around. Finally got to ADL at about 2:30 in the afternoon....still not 100% sure how I made the final 16 at the comp the next day.

Mind you 6 or so weeks later I got a $250 travel voucher in the mail, along with a very abject standard letter of apology.